Are You Really There?
by AK Feral
Summary: A Christian furry must uphold his morals in a private academy.
"Dear God, I was terribly lost as the galaxies crossed and the sun went dark,"

Macinstosh hummed the line in time to the subway's consistent clicks as it bolted through the tunnel, the bright lights throwing themselves across the opposite wall as he gently nodded his head to the beat.

"But dear God, you're the only North Star I would follow this far,"

The Subway was not as crowded as the commute announcer on the radio had said. In fact, there were only two others in the same car as him. This was a rarity to Macintosh, and he made it a point to himself to enjoy it as much as he could before the next stop and other people boarded the train. Since there were plenty of seats to spare, Macintosh didn't have to give his up for anyone else. That was a very rare experience, and he did his best to make sure this moment lasted.

Macinstosh was on his way to some learning academy somewhere to complete his education, and was told to pack his dearest possessions in preparation. The only things he brought with him were in fact his dearest possessions, along with being his only ones: A plain, black bible and a phone. He had read the bible over more than once, and was in the middle of another runthrough. Those were his two loves: music, and God.

As he softly hummed the refrain of his song, he reflected upon his situation.

It was actually surprising that furries had as much freedom as they did, especially considering their questionable heritage. The majority of the opposition they received was mainly taken from their "genetic impurity", their DNA grafted with animals from some experiment in the 80's. But whatever the case, the scientists had made the genes compatible, and furries became a species. Macintosh himself was a cheetah, and despite the warnings the bible had supplied, was slightly proud of that.

He felt the engines cut a bit long before the train slowed down, and automatically began to gather his things in preparation to stand up and move. But he paused midway, a thought bubbling in his mind. He shouldn't have to move. He sat back down. After all, he was a child of God, like everyone else, right? He sent the imploring question heavenwards, and the train finally came to a full stop. The door hissed open, and the river of people streamed in. Tosh didn't mind giving up his seat for an elderly or infirmed person, but when people demanded he switch seats just so they could sit there and for no other reason, he decided he would stay where he was.

For a minute or two, nobody noticed anything different about Tosh than they did with everyone else. He was simply a traveller like them, and they'd likely forget all about him before they made it to their destination. But one such opportunist spotted Tosh's whiskers from under his hood, and walked up to him.

"Excuse me," the person said simply. Tosh didn't respond, hoping that ignoring him would make him lose interest. But no such luck. The person now cleared his throat before talking again.

"Excuse me," he said, more demandingly this time. Tosh looked up at the person. No crutches. No wheelchair. No armloads of groceries. The other inhibition the person had was his phone and unkempt hair. Tosh felt a flood of rebellion course through him, and he lowered his head again

"I'd like not to," he responded politely. The people near him now were looking at him, shocked at his defiance. The person seemed furious at this, and abandoned polite convention.

"Move," the person sternly commanded. Tosh felt his own politeness and good form desert him as well, and he looked back up at the person.

"No," Tosh said, and returned the person's contemptful glare with his own stare of calm defiance that almost tangibly resonated from his calm yellow eyes. They said one thing: I'm done with you now. Stop bothering me.

The man stiffly walked over to take hold of a strap fastened to the ceiling, giving Tosh murderous looks every few minutes. But Tosh didn't notice; after he offered a silent prayer of thanks for the courage, he returned to his music.

The station was no less crowded than the commute announcer had stated though. The station bustled and hummed with the crowd of people going places, bearing their luggage, intent on reaching new places. Tosh scanned the crowd, looking for someone in the familiar black and red shirt of a learning academy representative. Before long, his eyes caught onto the colors, and the person saw him as well. Then they drew near to each other, the representative spoke.

"Macintosh Solstice?" The man queried. Tosh nodded.

"People call me Tosh," he said. The man smiled and held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Tosh," he said, and Tosh looked warily at him, slightly surprised by the respectful gesture. He shook the man's hand, and they both walked to the parking garage, where a car sat waiting with the academy's logo on the door. Tosh got into the front seat, and they drove in silence. Tosh didn't remember most of the drive. This was just another transfer to him. There would be nothing important to remember on the drive over. Several minutes found him staring out the car window, absentmindedly watching the landscape zip past in blurs of gray, blue and green. When the inertial pull of the car pulling to a stop alerted him, and he pulled his attention to the building in front of them. He gasped slightly in amazement. It was massive, and ornately decorated. What a place!

The interior was no less spacious and breathtaking. Lights cast light up onto the walls giving it a more open look, the woodwork of the accents were masterfully done, and exotic houseplants completed the look. Tosh cast his eyes upward, taking in the splendorous interior. It was all overwhelming, and Tosh completed the enrollment form in a daze. With all the classy aesthetics, Tosh thought, there had better be a stellar system to go with that. If they could afford the beautiful decor, he hoped they would have a good education system.

That was it. He was enrolled, presented with a complimentary cinch bag of school supplies, and caught a shuttle to his assigned dormitory. Tosh had since shaken himself out of the fog, and looked out the window, perceptively this time in search of landmarks he could associate with his location. After all, if he was going to be there for the remainder of his primary education term, he might as well strike up some feeling of familiarity. He watched the red brick buildings speed their way across the window, taking in the details of the place. Inside, he actually felt a feeling of excitement, something he hadn't experienced in a while. He let a smile spread across his face as his music played in his ears.

"Hercules, you have nothing to say to me, 'cause you're not the guiding light that I need,"

The shuttle slowed, and Tosh spotted the dormitory block number on one of the buildings.

"For He is the saving grace of the galaxies,"


End file.
